’s Role Essay, Research Paper
Philosophy and Its Role
Philosophy as we know it today began at the axis of history. Philosophy was bred out of the need to study the abuse of power. As we know, all meaning is in terms of relation. These relations, when shared by a group of people compose social structure. This structure of a group of people leads to a common power. The presence of power lends itself to abuse of its very own nature. This abuse of power is often very recognizable. Because of this, people choose to analyze this abuse of power and question it. This is what we call philosophy. The different meaning that people drew from their own personal observations on the use and abuse of power as to whether it was good or bad are the tenets of philosophy. From this, we draw that the purpose of philosophy is to understand the use and abuse of power, categorize it as good or bad, and then reform it so that it is deemed fair by everyone that is subject to it.
Meaning, as it is gained, transforms reality for humans. There exist three worlds of existence for human beings. As our perception deepens in these worlds, so does our meaning. When our understanding of the meaning of things is complete in one world, we are moved to the next world. The same applies here, until we have assimilated all meaning pertaining to specific objects in all three worlds. From the World of Immediacy, we learn that things are present. Once our meaning expands to what these objects are, we are in the World Mediated by Meaning. When we are able to place more that one meaning on one object, we have entered the World Constituted of Meaning. In this world, our understanding of the objects that constitute it are complete and specific.
In order for us to move along the line of worlds of meaning, we must develop new meaning for many things around us. We develop these meanings through our four levels of cognition. At the start, we possess the desire to sense and imagine. We have what is called sensory curiosity. Our desire is satisfied through the assimilation of sensory data. Next, we desire to know the meaning of objects that we can sense. We ask probing questions, such as who?, why?, when?, where?, etc. Through the understanding of the answers to these questions, or desire to know meaning is satisfied. After we have satisfied the desire to know meaning, we lack a sense of certitude about what we now know. We question the validity of our knowledge. Through the outward influence of our conceptions, we are given certitude as to whether our knowledge base is credible or contains faults. Once we are assured that our knowledge is intrinsically correct, we possess the certitude of truth and goodness that satisfies our desire for certitude. Out of this is born the passion to know whether or not the knowledge that we possess is in fact a resource that can be drawn upon and used. If our knowledge is worthwhile, then we have achieved a new level of cognition. Through a valuing of our knowledge, we can truly be satisfied in the contemplation that our reality is accurate, complete, and worthwhile. At this point, the philosophical study of a given object comes to closure. We now understand in whole what is before us, and we are ready to begin the venture, once again, with a new object. In essence, philosophy serves to help humans grow in knowledge, experience, and wisdom.